After The Love Story
by fumitxl
Summary: Tamako Kitashirakawa and Mochizou Ooji have known each other since they were born; but now that they've both said the three words to each other, what will happen to their relationship? Takes place after Tamako Love Story.
1. The Beginning

Mochizou Ooji watched the train approach the station. As the doors hissed open, his body took a step towards them, but his mind was elsewhere. It first drifted to his father's sour face this morning when he told them he was leaving. Despite what his father thought, he _wanted _this; to learn more about film, even if it meant he had to leave the place he grew up in. His father had been mad, of course. He wanted him to stay behind and take over the store. But unlike his father, he didn't have the kind of driving force that made you want to quarrel with your neighbour first thing in the morning. In fact, he didn't think he cared about winning over his neighbours at all. Unless you meant it in _that_ sense…

Her image popped easily into his mind. It didn't require any thinking, she was always there. Her beautiful smile, the way her bangs fell _just right_ on her forehead, the way her eyes would shine whenever she talked about mochi. He loved all of her, but now the image of her shocked face, speechless and sitting in the water, mingled with his other memories too.

Part of him still regretted ever revealing his true feelings to her. Maybe if he didn't, then she wouldn't be treating him so distantly now. They'd walk to school together as usual, share late night conversations over the paper cup telephone. Now she became a different person whenever they met. Her movements would stiffen and her eyes glaze over; before this, he thought that part of her was only reserved for public speaking, but apparently now she'd become a robot around him too. His heart ached as another image popped into his mind. An old memory from their childhood: she was waving from a distance, running towards him as she called his name.

"Mochizou."

Right, just like that. He couldn't even remember the last time she said his nam-

"MOCHIZOU!"

He whipped his head around, eyes widening. One step away from leaving the platform, he stumbled backwards, earning a few surprised looks from the people behind him. As the crowd of people cleared, his eyes found the one person he was longing to see. Her bangs stuck to her forehead, her chest rose and sank rapidly. The cheerful smile from his mind was now replaced with a look of desperation, her eyes dotted with tears.

"Tamako?" he heard himself say. The platform was clearing rapidly, the train already preparing to leave.

"Wait," she shouted, "WAIT!"

Mochizou didn't think he couldn't move even if he wanted to. He stood there in shock as she ran towards him. "Tamako, why-", he began, but his voice caught at his throat as she hurled a flurry of sentences at him. "Why… why Tokyo? It's so far. Tokyo is so far away," she said, her eyes closed. "We were always together, why are we moving apart?" her voice was on the verge of breaking. In the background, the train doors hissed shut and it began to depart from the station.

"Eh… But… Huh?" he stuttered. _Is this a dream?_, he thought dazedly. He slapped himself and pinched his own face, trying to wake up. But when he opened his eyes, she was still there. He could still see the beads of sweat that trailed down the sides of her face, hear the tension in her voice. "I haven't told you anything… I…" she looked down at the paper cup telephone she held in her hand. After taking a deep breath, she threw it to him.

Mochizou caught the two ends of the paper cup telephone, looking from the telephone back to Tamako in confusion. Her eyes widened, and she started to do a nervous dance. "Ah, no, not that!" she managed. He looked down at the cups and saw that one had his name on it, the other, her's. Realising what needed to be done; he took a deep breath of his own, and threw her end towards her. Tamako moved forwards and backwards, her arms stretched to the sky. Everything seemed to slow down as the paper cup flew in her direction.

In his mind, Mochizou flashed back to the beginning of the year, a similar moment. He had intended to confess to her if she caught her end of the paper cup telephone. And he almost did that time, but his eyes had deceived him then. It was her sister, Anko, who had caught it and not her. He should have known, Tamako never caught her cu-

A small clapping sound brought him back to reality. When he looked up, he saw the paper cup in her hands. At the same time, another train was pulling into the station. A look of determination came onto her face then. She lifted the cup to her mouth. He stared at her, lifting his end to his ear and closing his eyes, too afraid to expect anything from her next sentence.

Silence, then "Mochizou, I love you!" After a moment's hesitation, she added: "Over."

People began filing out of the train, crowding the station once again. Mochizou gasped, face flushed and eyes widening, while Tamako stood there, still with that look of resolve on her face. He clamped his hand over his mouth, barely able to contain himself as the happiness overtook him. He felt tears prick at the back of his eyes, vaguely registering the girl who had begun inching towards him.

"M-m-mochizou?" she squeaked, all the bravery from a few minutes ago lost. When he looked up, he saw that she was crying. Her face was streaked with sweat and tears, and she was gripping her paper cup so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. But her eyes were also shining with a joy he'd never seen before, her mouth curved into a wobbly smile. To him, she had never looked so beautiful before. He felt the tears spilling out from his eyes then. On a sudden impulse, he closed the distance between them with a hug. At this point, Tamako had begun sobbing into his jacket. He bent his head so that his forehead was touching the top of her head, his own tears of happiness trailing down the sides of his face.

* * *

><p>Neither of them could remember how long they stood there in embrace. All they could remember was eventually breaking away, wiping their last tears with bashful smiles. Mochizou had bought Tamako a drink from the vending machine, then they sat together in the momentarily vacant platform. Occasionally, they would sneak glances at each other before turning away, blushing. Mostly, they kept quiet, the gentle silence punctuated by Tamako's slow sips.<p>

He was the first one to break the silence. "I guess now I'll have to retake the entrance exam next week", he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Tamako whipped her head around to stare at him. "E-e-e-entrance exam? I thought you were leaving for Tokyo?" she stuttered out.

"No, I'm only leaving after graduation. Today was just the entrance exam."

"B-but Midori-chan said you were going to Toky-", she suddenly cut herself off, her face turning a violent shade of red. Mochizou looked at her, a curious expression on his face until it dawned on him. His cheeks suddenly felt hot as well. There was a brief silence.

"I'm sorry I made you miss your entrance exam", she said quietly.

"It's alright, I'm kind of glad I missed it", he said shyly. He turned to look at her, only to realise she was looking at him as well. At that moment, a train arrived at the station, causing the two to break eye contact and look away, both their faces an even darker shade of red than before.

As more and more people began to file out of the train, Mochizou snuck a peek at his childhood friend. Not noticing his gaze, she absentmindedly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears. The sweat and tears from before had already dried up. Suddenly, her lips curved into a small smile that only made his heart beat faster. Silently, he leaned closer to her, causing her to tense up a little. "I guess you'll have to tell her that it worked." he whispered in her ear.

Tamako felt the heat rush to her cheeks for what must have been the billionth time today. "Mm", she mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes, but the smile still playing on her lips.

When the train departed from the station once again, they fell back into the warm silence. The station clock ticked behind them as they watched more trains arrive and depart. Finally, Mochizou got up from his seat and offered his hand to her. "Tamako, shall we go home?" he asked, smiling down at her shyly. She looked up at her childhood friend; a familiar face framed by messy bangs, brown eyes that were crinkled into a smile, and a warm hand. She reached out her own hand and put it in his.

And she didn't let go until they reached the shopping district.

* * *

><p>After saying goodbye to Tamako, Mochizou took a tentative step into his family's store. "Mochizou, how did the entrance exam go?" his mother asked, popping her head out from the back of the store. As she moved to block the only route to his room, he cursed inwardly.<p>

"I… I didn't take it." he mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

"What? Why not?"

"I missed my train", he replied, scratching his head.

"I bet it was the guilt of leaving your old man behind, wasn't it?" his dad suddenly exclaimed loudly, waltzing out from the back to put his arm around his dutiful son.

"Dad, I'm still going to Tokyo. I'll just take the entrance exam next week." Mochizou protested, wiggling out of his father's embrace and past his mother. He was about to escape to his room when the latter asked: "But why did you miss the train?"

He couldn't help it. His mind immediately wound back to the moment he just shared with Tamako. Finally hearing her say the words he'd always wanted to hear, being able to hug her and hold her hand, seeing her adorable blushing face... He shook his head, feeling his body temperature rising at each thought.

Meanwhile, his parents observed their only son, who had stopped in the middle of the staircase to blush, of all things. "Did it have anything to do with Tamako?" his mother asked slyly. She looked amusedly at her son, whose face turned an even darker shade at the mention of their neighbour's name.

"What would this have to do with Tamako, dear?" his father asked in the tone of someone who was in on the game.

"Well, she _did _come over this morning to retrieve their paper cup telephone that _she and your son_ share." she explained, as slowly and clearly as possible to her husband. She giggled inwardly as she sneaked a peek at her son who – at the moment – looked just like an overripe tomato.

"Ah, _I see_." his father responded. "So, son, is your mother correct?"

"I-I-I wouldn't know!" Mochizou finally stuttered out. He immediately bolted the rest of the way to his room, where his parents wouldn't be able to intrude. He slid to the floor with his back against the door, putting his hands to his chest in attempts to calm down his pounding heart. Things weren't going to be easy from now onwards…

* * *

><p><em>Welcome to my first multi-chapter fic! I decided I <em>_had__ to write this after watching Tamako Love Story. Tamako and Mochizou are too cute together! There weren't enough fanfics to satisfy my needs, so I decided to write my own. I hope you liked it!_

_Note: After some late night thinking, I changed some sentences to make it more reader-friendly. If you have any thoughts about my writing style, I would appreciate the constructive criticism!_


	2. The Aftermath pt 1

The bell atop the entrance jingled as Tamako walked in, causing her grandfather to look up from his newspaper. "Welcome home", he said in greeting, "how was your day at sch-", he stopped mid-sentence as he bemusedly watched his eldest granddaughter walk past him without so much as a glance in his direction.

Mamedai noticed his daughter pass by from the corner of his eye. "Tamako, welcome home", her father shouted from the kitchen, "I'm rolling some mochi for dinner later, do you want to help me?"

"Eh… Mochizou? Mm…" she mumbled dazedly, putting on her apron to help. Her father stopped for a fraction of a second to eye his air-headed daughter suspiciously.

Her grandfather popped his head around the corner, catching his son's eye. _What's wrong with Tamako?_ , he relayed through hand gestures. Mamedai, understanding his father's intent, simply shrugged.

Little did they both know that only one thing – or specifically, only one _person_ – had been running through her mind since she left the shop this morning, and it had only gotten worse when she returned. _Mochizoumochizoumochizoumochizou_, her mind couldn't stop yammering, until the image of his shocked, blushing face popped into her mind and everything in her brain came to a halt. Her face began to turn pink as she kneaded the mochi harder and harder.

The two men of the house began to stall at their mochi making to stare at their resident adolescent. "Tamako, are you feeling okay?" her grandfather asked her.

Her panicked mochi-mashing slowed down as she looked up to stare at the two of them blankly. "I-I-I-I think I'll go w-w-wash up before d-dinner", she stuttered, her face now a full-fledged red. She put down the miserable looking mochi and hastily wiped her hands on her apron. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she looked from left to right as if she had suddenly forgotten what to do next. Two pairs of eyes were following her odd movements when she suddenly rushed out of the kitchen towards her room.

At her departure, Mamedai shrugged again at his father's concerned gaze. He could never comprehend his daughter's odd behaviour before, and he surely couldn't comprehend them now.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Tamako reached her room at record speed. She threw herself at her bed and buried her overheated head into the nearest pillow, not even bothering to change out of her school uniform. If she had chosen to look out her window, she would have seen Mochizou enter his room in a similar fashion, but her mind was too caught up with replaying the day's events.<p>

If she closed her eyes tightly enough, she could still feel his warm arms enveloping her body in embrace and remember the smell of his freshly washed jacket that she had shamelessly wept into. She could feel her cheeks heating up at the memory of his gentle voice whispering into her ear, when his body was leaning so close into hers. Yet, when they held hands for the entire walk home – the first time since they were kids – she couldn't recall any other time when she had felt so at peace.

Tamako couldn't remember for sure when she had accepted this change. She had spent so many months in a daze; the moment when Mochizou confessed to her playing over and over in her mind like a broken record. Every time she bumped into him, or saw him from a distance, heard his voice, or have his name mentioned in conversation, her mind filled up with thoughts about him and her heart would begin to race. She'd never experience anything like this before; and it's not like she didn't know about love. She knew that her parents were in love, that she loved everyone in the shopping district, and Dela used to talk about love all the time. She just didn't realise that she loved Mochizou in the way that he said he loved her.

Maybe it was when her grandfather collapsed and she sought more comfort in his face than anybody else's, or maybe when she heard her mother's singing for the first time since she passed away when Tamako was in the fifth grade, or maybe as early as Midori advising her to give Mochi an answer. Everything was a blur to her befuddled mind, even until now. The only moment that was suddenly clear was when she finally gave him her response. At that time, she knew what she wanted. She knew Mochi was important and that she couldn't lose him. Her lips had just moved by themselves.

Tamako cheeks heated up at that thought. She rolled over on her bed and propped her head up with her elbows. _What's going to happen tomorrow?_, she wondered. She had managed to avoid him for the past few months, but now there was no reason for her to do so.

She leaned out of her bed slightly so her eyes peeped over the edge of her window. Her heartbeat began to quicken when she spotted him in his room. She could see the blush on his face from here. His hands were knotted in his hair as he paced around his room. He was clearly frustrated about something, but Tamako could only be bothered about how cute he looked at the moment. A small giggle slipped out of her mouth, the same time as her sister barged into the room.

"Nee-chan! Father wants help with dinner!" she yelled. Tamako let out a small yelp and tumbled off her bed.

Anko took a peek past the curtains separating their room only to find her elder sister sprawled out on the floor with her hair poking out in all directions and her uniform in disarray. "You haven't changed? You've been back home for so long," she said.

Tamako blushed hard before replying her sister. "I'll change now. Tell father I'll be down soon." She began to lift herself off the ground and dust herself off.

Anko eyed her sister suspiciously. Her sister had always been a little bit out of it, but recently it seemed to have gone up a few notches. It first began when she kept replacing "mochi" with "Mochizou" in her dictionary, then she stopped helping out with the morning preparations for the first time in years, and the whole time she wouldn't stop listening to father's song on repeat. Now, it was an undeniable fact that Anko was the brighter of the two, so she had known immediately that it had something to do with the boy that lived across the street.

As her sister was grabbing her clothes, she moved a little closer to the window to confirm her suspicions. She was hardly surprised when she came face-to-face with a red-faced Mochizou. Narrowing her eyes, she alternated between looking at him and eyeing her sister. As she was about to open her mouth to ask the latter a question, a shout suddenly came from downstairs.

"Anko! What's taking you so long!"

She took one last glimpse at Mochizou's window, which had suddenly become empty. Shaking her head, she made a start downstairs.

"Please, can't you call me An instead?"

* * *

><p>Mochizou was pacing his room fervently, his mind filled with worries about tomorrow. He hadn't interacted properly with her for months; what happened at the train station was too driven by emotions to count. He fisted his hair as his pace quickened. Now that he knew that they both liked each other, things would change. <em>Were they in a relationship now?<em>, the thought of it stalled his pacing. He stopped to consider what it would be like to call Tamako his girlfriend. He felt a familiar heat crawl up the sides of his face as his mind opened a drawer he'd never want anyone to know of.

He shook his head furiously and continued pacing his room, trying to calm down his beating heart when a sudden crash came from the opposite window. He moved closer to the window, wondering if it was the subject of his thoughts, when suddenly Anko appeared. She gave him a fierce look, causing him to jump slightly. Unfortunately, that small jump caused his legs to entangle with the leg of his table, causing him to have a crash of his own.

Below the window, he winced at his aching behind which had cushioned most of the blow. _What was __that__ all about?_, he wondered.

However, he wasn't given any time to ponder further because a yell came from downstairs for dinner. He slowly lifted himself from the ground and shot the window one last look before he descended the stairs. He would just have to wait until tomorrow to see what happens.

* * *

><p><em>Note: Thanks for all the reviews on Chapter One! Sorry it took so long for me to finish this chapter. It was harder than I thought to just write even though I didn't feel like writing at the time. I'll try to update more regularly from now onwards though. I have loads of things in store for this fanfic, so make sure you follow to keep up-to-date! And if you have any things you want to see happen, leave a review about it, I'll see if I can add it in anywhere <em>

_P.S. When Anko says "Please, can't you call me…", I meant the 'please' to be like a 'mohhhh', but I didn't think a lot of people would get that xD_


	3. The Aftermath pt 2

A gust of wind blew through Usagiyama Shopping District, hardly noticed by its residents as they busied themselves with the opening of shops and quiet morning conversation. Yet, it was plain to see that autumn had already left its mark on the place; leaves on the potted plants already turning crimson colours, some already collected in piles on the ground, and the temperature slowly hiking up as the days passed by.

Mochizou observed all of this as he waited outside _Ricecake Oh! Zee_ for Tamako. He had woken up this morning with a great sense of anticipation, and his actions had only showed his nervousness about it. Somehow, his mother had caught onto her son's worries and he had spent his entire breakfast trying to ignore her merciless teasing about Tamako. But even then, he couldn't stop himself from choking on his food when her comments became a little too… intimate.

A faint blush appeared on his cheeks as he tightened his grip on the straps of his backpack, recalling how he had practically shoved the rest of his breakfast down his throat and run out the house once she got onto the topic of marriage. He felt his cheeks becoming hotter despite the cool wind. Of _course _he wanted to marry her someday; he couldn't stop the edges of his lips from curling up when he imagined standing next to her at the aisle. But still, this was just day one-

"G-g-g-g-good morning Mochizou!" Tamako shouted, interrupting his thoughts. When he turned to look at her, he was surprised to see her bowing at him. A total 90 degree bow that made her twin tails hang loosely at the side of her head. _This is unexpected_, he thought. His mind was going back to all the mental simulations he had run the night before. This wasn't one of them.

"Tama-", he began to ask, but he was beaten to the chase by the younger Kitashirakawa.

"Uhh, nee-chan… what are you doing?" Anko asked, leaning down to peer at her sister's face which was still firmly set on looking at the ground.

As if in sudden realisation, Tamako bounced back up into standing position. The edges of his lips twitched upwards in amusement as he watched her face turn from a light pink to a bright red all the while babbling something totally incomprehensible.

"Ah, Mochizou, I was- I mean, I didn't- I wasn't-", she stuttered desperately. Her eyes were frantic as she searched for surrounding inspiration, but immediately stood slack jawed when her eyes accidentally made contact with his. He knew he should be comforting her at this moment, but watching her panic was just too cute, he could have hugged her there and then.

Seeing that he was staring, she looked down at her shoes, her blush deepening. Mochizou broke into a full-fledged smile then. "Good morning, Tamako," he beamed at her, "to you too, Anko", he nodded at the small figure beside her.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

* * *

><p>Conversation was sparse as they headed down their usual school route. Every time Mochizou would try to begin a conversation with Tamako, she would just stutter out the answer – which didn't always match the question – then blush and turn her head. After a few attempts, he settled on Anko, whom had decidedly sandwiched herself between the two.<p>

"So, Anko, how's school?"

"School is alright. My final exams are coming, so everyone's pretty stressed out."

"And how's your preparations?"

"Oh, it's alright."

"I see."

The conversation petered out once again, and he gave up trying to reignite it. For awhile, only the sound of their combined footsteps – a steady rhythm to the noises made by passing cars and the flowing river water below them – were the only sounds that contributed to their pregnant pause. Suddenly, the tiniest of the three began to speak.

"You know, Mochizou, nee-chan was doing something weird yesterday." Anko piped up.

Her statement caused the two high schoolers to turn to look at the younger of the two siblings. There was a look of horror plastered on Tamako's face, while Mochizou eyed Anko curiously. The smile on her face was a little too mischievous to be anything good, but his curiosity was piqued.

"When I came home from school," Anko began, her sister's face beginning to pale. "I caught her staring out her window, into yours?" she continued, ending with a question directed to the two of them.

"A-a-anko!" Tamako half yelled, her face changing from white to crimson in an instant.

"Oh, look, we're reaching my school! See you later, nee-chan, Mochi!" Anko yelled as she broke out into a run.

Two pairs of eyes followed the receding figure in disbelief. Mochizou scratched his head awkwardly, wondering if Anko had always been that mischievous. When he chose to look down at Tamako, it looked as if she was thinking the same thing. Deciding it was best not to bring up what had happened just yet, he continued walking with her in silence.

It came to Mochizou's realisation that they were alone now. Just like yesterday. Each time their fingers brushed against each other lightly, he felt a burst of electricity shoot up his fingers, causing his heart to race. Above them, branches leaned over like an arch that spread out as far as the eye could see. _We've made our fair share of memories here_, he mused.

In winter, heavy snow coated the tree branches and they had been buried once when the snow from those same branches came down on them. They were a lot more careful about kicking trees after that.

In spring, the sakura flowers bloomed and they would always share their first walk of the school year. Next spring, he realised, they would be graduating under the same sakura trees.

In summer, the fresh green leaves were always their go-to refuge for ice-cream eating and beating the heat; though in the more recent years, Tamako had been spending more and more of her summer vacation with her other friends, and less and less with him under those trees. He knew that last part would change, at least, next summer.

Finally, in autumn, he couldn't recall any moment more important than this: the first time they walked to school together knowing that their feelings were mutual.

The memories made Mochizou smile, and he gently intertwined his fingers with Tamako's. There was a part of him that was still in shock that things turned out the way they did, but mostly, he was too happy to care whether or not this was a dream. When he looked down at the person he was holding hands with, he could feel the happiness radiating throughout every particle of his being; and when she turned to smile at him shyly, he thought – not for the first time – that his heart would stop.

"So was what Anko said true?" he asked her, seeing as she had calmed down already.

Still, she couldn't meet his eyes when she gave him a small nod.

"Tamako, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." he said, "You know, I was looking at your window too." he admitted bashfully.

"You were?" she met his eyes again, her face slowly returning to its normal shade except for a light tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"Mm", he replied, smiling.

"Then I'm happy."

Tamako wrapped her arms around Mochizou's and squeezed. They were reaching the end of the archway; one more corner and they would reach their high school.

"You know, I fell off the bed when Anko came into the room." she recalled, giggling.

"And I tripped and fell when Anko suddenly appeared in your window," he said, laughing along with her.

The image of each other falling down suddenly became so amusing to them, that they both broke out into loud peals of laughter; their awkwardness also melting away in the process.

When they finally stopped to catch their breath, Mochizou shifted his gaze to Tamako. She looked beautiful, even though her cheeks were flushed from laughing too much and she was panting to catch her breath, but her eyes were shining as she laughed and at that moment, she was so beautiful to him.

"We're quite a silly pair, aren't we?" he said suddenly.

"Yep!" she replied, still giggling.

His smile widened, and he reached out for her hand once again. Even though it had been his dream for years, it was still new for the both of them to move from childhood friends to something more. He knew that Tamako wasn't sure of how to act around him, and he couldn't tell what their future would hold. Yet, in this moment, he knew that things were going to be okay. Plus, this was just day one.

"Anyway, Mochizou," she began as they continued the rest of their walk, "how's preparations for your entrance exam?"

…right.

* * *

><p>Tamako and Mochizou were reaching the last stretch of road leading up to their school. They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice the person that had been observing them since the very beginning. A look of pain crossed her face when her eyes drifted to their linked hands, and she second guessed her decision to even take this route to school in the first place.<p>

Even though she was the one to give their relationship the final shove, she still found it hard to suppress the feelings she had been nurturing for the past two years. At that moment when she told Tamako that he was leaving, she thought she had conquered her internal struggle. In that vast field, with the wind whipping through her short locks, she thought that, despite what she felt, she wanted Tamako to be happy. She had seen her friend go through so much pain without Mochizou, and how happy she was to be beside him. She only wanted the best for her. But... there was always a but.

She watched them from afar as Tamako embarrassedly removed her grip on Mochizou's arm when they approached the school grounds. As they turned to look at each other, she could see their faces from the side. Both cheeks were tinged with pink, and they looked happier than they had been in all the months they were apart. How could she go against that?

She sighed, imagining that all the bad thoughts were leaving her body along with that breath, and then she balled her hands into fists. She was going to be a good best friend if it was going to be the last thing she did.

"Midori-chan!" Tamako called from a distance. She looked up at her friend, whom was waving with all her might, her twin tails swaying in the autumn breeze. In the background, Mochizou was waiting.

Her heart gave an involuntary thump, and she swallowed the ball of saliva that had accumulated in her mouth. Adjusting her face to a more friendly expression, she waved back at her friend and began a slow jog to catch up with the new couple.

* * *

><p><em>Notes: Happy December, minna, and hello to all my new followers! It really pushes me to write when there's so many people expecting me to, hahaha. I've actually been finding it quite hard to let the story flow. Part of the reason why is because I don't actually plan to accomplish anything with each chapter. I'm just taking it as it goes. Since this <em>_is__ my first multi-chapter fic, any comments/reviews/constructive criticism would really help!_

_P.S. Next chapter hopefully before the middle of December. _


	4. The Aftermath pt 3

"Tamako, you're in a good mood today." Shiori noted with her usual gentle smile. The four had taken their lunch outdoors again, deciding to enjoy it to the fullest before the weather became too cold.

"Mm!" Tamako replied; her mouth currently occupied with lunch.

"Did something good happen?"

Tamako's face began to flush, and she suddenly became very focused on chewing her food.

Shiori shared a sneaky look with Kanna before the latter leaned over to peer at their victim's lunchbox. "I see mochi has returned to Tama-chan's bento," she commented off-handedly.

Tamako swallowed her food in surprise. "W-why are you talking about m-m-mochizou?!" she yelped.

At that, Kanna and Shiori burst into laughter. Even Midori couldn't hold back a giggle or two while their good friend just stared at her them blankly.

Finally, Shiori wiped away her last tear, "Mochi, not Mochizou, Tamako." she explained while lifting a hand to her mouth to stop another giggle from escaping. Tamako realised that a little too late as she felt her face heat up. She placed her two hands on her cheeks to cover her growing blush; not that that worked very well.

"I knew it would happen." Kanna said with confidence, after she too had calmed down from all the laughing.

"After all, there is no way Tamako would say no to Ooji-kun. It's like they were made for each other!" Shiori exclaimed. "Childhood friends turned lovers, it's like a shoujo manga come to life, don't you think?" she continued, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Shio-chan makes a fair point. Ooji's name even contains the thing Tamako loves most – mochi – in it." Kanna added on.

"Oh, that's right! And both their families own mochi shops."

"Tama-chan mentioned once that they talk every night using telephone paper cups."

"And didn't Ooji-kun call Tamako's father 'father' that one time?"

"So are you and Ooji boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Midori suddenly interjected.

The three turned their heads to Tamako, whom they could have sworn had steam rising from her face at the moment. Her friends looked at each other and shared a knowing look.

"Don't fret, Tamako," she said, smiling. "We're all just happy for you."

"Yes, our perverted mochi girl has finally met her match." Kanna couldn't resist adding in. Her comment only caused said girl to shrink further behind her hands. Shiori shot her an angry look – untypical of the quiet bookworm – and Kanna lifted her two hands in surrender.

While the two carried on their silent exchange, Midori leaned over to pat Tamako's back. "If he ever hurts you, he'll have me to deal with." Midori said sternly.

The other two stopped whatever they were doing to agree to that statement. "He'll have to deal with all of us." Kanna said with confidence.

"That's right, because Tama-chan is our precious friend," Shiori said.

Tamako lifted her head from her hands, tears threatening to pour out from her eyes. She scanned the three girls before her, her eyes landing first on her glasses-toting friend. "Thank you, Shiori-chan, Kanna-chan, and Midori-chan," her gaze landed last on her closest friend. "Thank you for being there for me," she said; this time, a few tears leaking out from the corners of her eyes.

The three looked at their friend fondly. "We'll always be here, Tamako." Midori said, voicing on behalf of the rest.

Tamako smiled and opened her mouth to reply when—

RRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG

"The bell!" they all exclaimed.

The four of them jumped from their seats, scrambling to grab their things. "How longdid we even talk for?!" Shiori asked panicking, pulling back the picnic blanket. Unfortunately, the only person who heard her was Kanna, who was stuffing her face with the rest of her lunch.

Meanwhile, Midori stood up with her things, and then offered her hand to Tamako. "Here, quick!" she beckoned.

"Thank you, Midori-chan!" Tamako grabbed onto her hand gratefully.

"Let's go, Tama-chan!" Kanna yelled, already ahead of them.

Tamako looked at her friends, Kanna and Shiori waving from a distance ahead, and Midori at her side. "Mm!" she smiled, still holding onto Midori's hand as they broke into a run.

* * *

><p>Mochizou was worrying out of his mind. <em>Where's Tamako? It's not like her to be late, even after lunch. Did something happen to her? <em>His face scrunched up in anxiety. He had entered the classroom 10 minutes ago when the bell rang, and he had immediately begun panicking when he realised that the seat beside him was uncharacteristically empty. He scanned the classroom, noticing that Tokiwa's seat was always empty. _At least they're together_, he thought, trying to calm himself down. It didn't work.

He banged his head loudly on histable, attracting some odd looks from his neighbours.

Sensing the stares, he lifted his head sheepishly, choosing to engage in a staring contest with the classroom doors instead. The clock above the blackboard ticked on as his staring intensified. He wasn't even sure why he was being so panicky. It was out of character for him. Was it because Tamako finally returned his feelings yesterday? Just as he thought, he couldn't believe it had happened, that it was now happening. What if this was another one of those hyper-realistic dreams?

His thoughts were still running wild when Tamako rushed into the classroom. His eyes followed her dazedly as she crossed the classroom and sat down in her seat. Noticing his gaze, she turned to him and smiled. "Hi, Mochizou." she said. He pinched himself. Okay, not a dream.

"What happe-", he began to ask, until his teacher suddenly entered the classroom. The class stood up and greeted their teacher. When they sat down, he adjusted his voice lower.

"What happened, Tamako?" he whispered to her as their teacher began to write on the blackboard. The girl in question not only didn't pay heed to his question, but looked as if she was trying to stop from laughing. _I don't think that's a bad sign… is it?_

"Tamako…" he called again, "Tamako?" and again, "Tama-"

"Ooji!" his teacher yelled. "If you really do intend on attending a university in Tokyo, I suggest you pay attention to my lesson!"

"Yes, ma'am!" he yelped, sitting straight up.

But as the teacher turned back to draw more diagrams on the blackboard, he turned his head ever so slightly in her direction again. He didn't expect to see her looking at him too. She was giggling now, surely at his recent slip-up, and he felt a blush growing on his cheeks.

He immediately redirected his attention to the teacher in front, afraid of getting into even more trouble. But the corner of his eyes kept catching Tokiwa's blonde head, which was right next to the blackboard. He vaguely remembered seeing her and Tamako enter the classroom together, his initial assumption proved correct. Truth be told, they had looked terrible – dishevelled and sweaty as if they had run to class from the other end of the school or something – but they had come in smiling, so he guessed nothing bad had happened.

He snuck another peek at the girl beside him. She was now writing notes in her book, a look of seriousness on her face. He wondered if she told Tokiwa about them yet. His face flushed when he said "them" – a term of association – even though it was only in his mind.

Actually, he mused, it was more likely that Tokiwa found out before Tamako could even open her mouth to tell her. _Hm_, he thought while twirling his mechanical pencil around, _that reminds me…_

* * *

><p>"Mochizou, you haven't stopped smiling since this morning." his friend, Inuyama noted.<p>

"Yeah, what's up?" his other friend, Momotarou asked.

"Wait, don't tell me-"

"Did Kitashirakawa-san – "

By that time, Mochizou was already nodding his head, unable to keep the good news in for any longer.

"You!" Momo punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I meant to, but you two got there first." Mochizou explained.

"Anyway, congratulations!" Inuyama said.

"Yeah, it's about time!" Momo yelled, poking Mochizou in the ribs.

"Ow! I'm going get you back for this!" he retaliated.

As they began a poke war, dragging Inuyama into it as well, a female voice interrupted them. "Er, Ooji, what are you doing?" The three looked up at the source of the voice only to see the other subject of their discussion.

"K-Kitashirakawa-san!" Inuyama and Momotarou yelled simultaneously, immediately backing off from Mochizou.

The latter scratched his head. "Hi Tamako, what are you doing here?" he asked. _Wait, did she call me Ooji?_, he thought perplexedly.

"Ooji, what's the answer to question 8?"

"…question?" he cocked his head to the side.

"Yes, question 8. What's the answer, Ooji?"

"Ooji?"

* * *

><p>"…Ooji!"<p>

Mochizou snapped out of his daydream. The rest of the class had turned around to stare at him. But he had a feeling they weren't looking at him. He turned around slowly, coming face to face with an extremely cross looking teacher. The teacher's face was red in fury and she had her arms crossed tightly across her chest. His face paled.

"Y-y-yes?" he stuttered.

"See me after school!"

He almost jumped out of his chair. "Yes!" he yelped.

* * *

><p>The teacher stretched out her arms, shoulders sore from a whole day of pointing at black boards and explaining the same thing over and over again. A sheet of paper on her table caught her eye mid-stretch. Looking closer, she saw the name Mochizou Ooji written neatly on the top.<p>

She was instantly reminded of the incident in class today. She had heard him the first time, calling Kitashirakawa's name and she figured she would let it pass, until he called her name for the second time, then a third time, and a fourth… After that, she thought it would end, but he still had the nerve to day dream during her lesson!

But despite it all, she wasn't angry. No, she was disappointed. Mochizou was such a good student. Though not the best in class, he was still obedient and did fairly well in his tests. If he had any flaw, it would be Kitashirakawa.

She had taught both students before in separate classes, but she didn't imagine that _this _would happen when they were in the same class. Only after listening in on some of her students' conversations did she find out that they were not only neighbours but also childhood friends. Since then, it had been glaringly obvious to her that Ooji had feelings for the other, but it looked like his feelings weren't reciprocated. Now, however, when she thought back to the way they kept sneaking looks at each other, it looked as if things had changed. Still, Ooji shouldn't let his feelings come in the way of his studies, and she was definitely going to tell him that when he came to see-

Suddenly, a male voice interrupted her thoughts. "Teacher, I'm sorry for my behaviour in class." When she looked up, she saw none other than Ooji. _Speak of the devil_, she thought. "You know, you have a good brain, Ooji," she began, prepared to unleash the arguments she had thought of, but when a look of regret came over his face, she found that she couldn't do it. "Just… don't let this happen again." she said resignedly. "Now, go. I have other things to attend to." She waved her hands, signalling for him to leave.

His face immediately brightened up. "Thank you, teacher. I won't!" he said, bowing once more before turning to leave.

"And good luck with Kitashirakawa," she added as an afterthought.

It was amusing to see her student jump ever so slightly before walking a little too quickly out of the office. When he opened the door, she could hear a faint female voice. "Mochizou, ready to go home?" the voice asked. The person in question merely nodded before closing the door behind him.

The teacher leaned back in her chair and surveyed the paper on her desk. _Mochizou Ooji_, she read, _85%_. She guessed she could let it go for now. In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the wedding ring on her finger that was glinting in the last rays of sunlight.

She sighed. _How can I say no to young love?_, she mused.

* * *

><p><em>Note: The hardest part about writing this chapter was finding out the names of Mochizou's film club friends. The Tamako Market wikia is useless, omg. Thank goodness I finally found it on . Anyway, I'll probably be able to upload another chapter around the middle of December, I'll have a little more time then. Meanwhile, leave me some comments if you have any suggestions and follow for more updates!<em>

_[For your information, Momotarou is the tall one with bangs covering his eyes, and Inuyama is the short, cute (like how a child is cute) looking one with maroon hair. ]_


	5. The Regular Elementary School Girl

"I'm going to sleep now, over." Tamako said into the paper cup. When she lifted her end to her ear, she heard his response: "Good night, Tamako... over."

She threw her paper cup, letting it sail through the air across the gap between their two houses. Mochizou caught it, and with one last smile and wave, vanished from the window, presumably to his bed. Tamako left her curtains drawn back, letting the moonlight shine onto her bed and illuminating her figure as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

It had been almost a week since she confessed to Mochizou at the train station. She had been so scared that things would be different between them, but the change had settled in so naturally. Even though her friends had taken to teasing her at least once a day about him, and they held hands on their walks to school (that was nice), most things were normal. In fact, she liked how things were now.

As she snuggled under her sheets filled with happy thoughts, a small voice came from the other side of the room.

"Nee-chan, when are you going to tell father about this?"

Her heart gave an involuntary jolt at the question. Tamako turned in her bed to face the curtain that separated their room. "H-h-how do you know about this?!" she said in a low whisper even though it was only the two of them in the room.

"What do you mean, nee-chan? You two are so obvious." Anko whispered back.

Tamako dove under her covers in embarrassment. "Does father know?"

"No, duh, otherwise why would I ask you about it?" Anko's voice became louder.

Tamako peeked over her covers to see her sister's head popping out through the dividing curtains. "So, when are you going to tell him?" Anko asked again.

She turned around so her back was facing Anko, and the view of the moonlight lighting up the stereo in front of her. "I don't know", she said softly. After awhile, she heard the silent _swoosh_ of the curtains and a soft _thump _as her sister withdrew back to her own bed.

Her eyes travelled to the view of the night sky from her open window. She heard the clock ticking in the back of her mind as she contemplated what Anko said. Slowly, her eyes went out of focus and her breathing became more regular. As she was about to drift off to sleep, a small voice piped up, disrupting the steady ticking of the second hand. "Is it nice?" the voice asked.

"What is?" she answered, her own heavy with sleep.

"You know, being together with Mochi"

"Mm, yeah", Tamako mumbled before dozing off.

* * *

><p>Anko pulled the curtain aside gently, enough for her to have a view of her sister's sleeping figure. Her body rose and sank gently, her long hair spilled gently across her bed. Anko's eyes lingered on her for awhile before drifting to the open window.<p>

She had heard their conversation. Well, her sister's side of it at least, and it still surprised her; the change in her sister's voice. Even though they were talking about normal things, there was underlying warmth in her voice that wasn't there before.

Before this, she would have never pegged her sister as someone who _could_ be in love like this. Tamako-nee, whose mind was only filled with mochi and nothing else, falling in love? Even Anko was more familiar with the concept of love than her. But suddenly, it seemed as if her sister was maturing all at once.

Anko sighed, lying down again. It's not as if she was sad about it. She was happy for them. There was no other person she would rather her sister end up with, and they were good together. Just part of her felt a bit… envious.

She turned to her side, her body facing her study table where a paper mache replica of a fossil stood proudly. What would she do differently if he were here? She hugged her pillow tightly as the image of his gentle smile floated to her mind. _Nee-chan is so lucky_, she thought sleepily, before finally falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Anko stared at the blackboard in front of her blankly. She had come to school earlier to give her sister and Mochi some time alone, but she was beginning to regret it. <em>There's nothing to do here<em>, she slumped onto the table, bored.

Two years ago, she probably wouldn't be thinking the same things. Yuzuki always came to school early and his presence was always enough for her to feel like she was connected to a live wire. But now even when she was just saying his name in her mind, she felt her heart ache. She winced and buried her face in her hands.

"Good morning, Anko!" Kaede peered down at her. "Don't tell me. You're thinking about him again."

"Is it that obvious?" Anko's voice was muffled.

"The tips of your ears are red." her friend pointed out. Anko groaned as her friend sat down in the seat in front of her.

Anko was one of the first in her grade to get a crush, when the rest of her friends were still oblivious to boys. But now that boys were quite the hot topic among the girls in her grade, she was probably the only one that still had the same crush from the beginning.

Thankfully, her friends weren't part of the gaggle of girls that seemed to be obsessed with boys; Kaede showing no interest whatsoever, while Momoji had a protective older brother who would have a lot to say if she did. However, the two never missed an opportunity to tease their best friend about her long standing love for their docile ex-classmate.

"You know, in some ways, you remind me of your sister." Kaede noted.

"In what way?" she moaned in a fake tortured voice.

"Once you like a person, you never change your mind." Kaede was surprisingly mature for her age, though she made up for it in playfulness.

Anko blushed and hid her face again.

"When was the last time you even saw Yuzuki-kun, Anko?" The question was laced with concern.

"Two years ago." She mumbled.

They _had _planned to meet, but Yuzuki's family never planned any visits, and they were too young to travel alone. They did write letters though, but that didn't work out in the end. It was slow, too hard to compress everything that happened into one letter, and she never gathered enough courage to tell him what she felt for him. That was her biggest regret.

"And you still like him?"

Anko kept quiet.

After awhile, she felt a pat on her head. "It'll be okay, kawaii Anko-chan," Kaede tried to comfort her. "I'm sure you will be united with Yuzuki-kun again someday."

It was a fat hope, Anko knew, but it made her heart stop aching for awhile.

"You know, regular elementary school kids don't usually have these kinds of problems." Her friend suddenly took on a lighter tone. "Are you in an anime or something?" she teased.

"Well, regular elementary school kids don't usually give out old man advice either." Anko retorted. Kaede grinned.

"…says the girl who is named after red bean paste. I'd think you're the least regular between the both of us."

"I told you to call me An!" Anko whined.

Kaede opened her mouth to release a sarcastic response, but they were interrupted by a figure with curly strawberry brown hair.

"Good morning Anko-chan, Kaede-chan." Momoji greeted them, sitting down on her usual seat next to the two. "What are you two talking about?"

The moment had gone. Anko and Kaede just looked at each other and burst into laughter. While Momoji looked on confusedly and Kaede banged the table in hysterics, Anko felt the lightest she had felt in days. Even though she couldn't forget about Yuzuki, she figured she could push him aside for awhile. For now, she could just focus on being with her friends and just being a regular elementary school kid.

* * *

><p><em>Note: I decided to focus on Anko in this chapter, since I want to tell her love story as equally as I want to tell Tama and Mochi's. I may continue to do this – make every 5 chapters an Anko chapter. What do you think?<em>

_Anyway, if any of you happen to know Yuzuki's friend's name – the boy that everyone thought Anko liked until it turned out to be Yuzuki – could you tell me? Then I can include him in the story :D_

_I hope I can make the next chapter before Christmas, but if I can't, here's Merry Christmas in advance! Thank you for all the support so far 3_


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